Jack Black's Po is back after nearly a decade, and he's already receiving a hero's welcome from audiences. Kung Fu Panda 4 started off its run on the big screen with a Friday opening gross of $13.8 million, including $3.8 in Thursday previews. The fourth film in the franchise is now estimated to open to a near-series best $55 million domestically over Oscar weekend in a win for the family marketplace, as well as for DreamWorks Animation and parent company Universal. The only other Kung Fu installment to open higher was the first one in 2008 with $62 million, not adjusted for inflation.
Returning members of the Kung Fu 4 voice cast include Dustin Hoffman as Kung Fu master Shifu, James Hong as Po’s adoptive father, Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father Li, and Ian McShane as Shifu's former student and archnemesis. Series newcomers include Viola Davis as a tiny lizard and shapeshifting sorceress, and Awakawfina as a quick-witted thief whom Po needs in order to protect their world. Ke Huy Quan also joins the franchise as a criminal leader named Han. The film boasts an A- CinemaScore from audiences and strong PostTrak exits.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is directed by Mike Mitchell, who also helmed Trolls and Shrek Forever After. All eyes are also on Denis Villeneueve's Dune: Part Two to see how it holds up in its second outing. The Legendary and Warner Bros. sci-fi epic opened last weekend to a stellar $82.5 million domestically and finished Thursday with a North American tally of more than $110 million and $200 million globally.
Heading into Oscar weekend, Box office pundits believed Dune 2 could earn $40 million or so in its second outing, but now that number looks to climb as high as $44 million for a drop of just 47 percent, thanks in part to keen demand for higher-priced Imax and other premium large-format screens. Lionsgate and Blumhouse's Imaginary also entered the mix and earned $725,000 in Thursday previews. The original horror pic had hoped for an opening in the $10 million to $14 million but may come in just shy of $9 million.
The story follows a young woman who moves back to her childhood home, where her youngest stepdaughter develops an eerie attachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey she finds in the basement. The film is directed by Jeff Wadlow, who also produces alongside Jason Blum. It earned a C- CinemaScore, which is not unusual for horror. Imaginary could find itself in a close race with Cabrini, the latest offering from Angel Studios, the Utah-based production and crowd-sourcing company that was home to summer 2023 sleeper hit Sound of Freedom.
In regards to Oscar-nominated films, many of the movies vying for top honors are already available in the home, but some could still see an uptick at the box office. If Christopher Nolan and Universal's Oppenheimer wins best picture, it will make box office history by becoming the biggest-grossing movie to win the prize since the final The Lord of the Rings in 2004. Oppenheimer has earned nearly $960 million in worldwide ticket sales.
